Examination of Witnesses (Questions 86-99)
LORD MOYNIHAN,
MR SIMON
CLEGG AND
MR TIM
BRABANTS
7 OCTOBER 2008
Q86 Chairman: Can I welcome to our second
part of this session Lord Moynihan, the Chairman of the British
Olympic Association, Simon Clegg, the Chief Executive, and Tim
Brabants who of course won two medals at the Games. Perhaps I
should start by asking Lord Moynihan if he would convey from the
Committee our congratulations to all the members of Team GB after
a magnificent performance and obviously the Committee is particularly
pleased to see Tim here and to congratulate you on an outstanding
achievement.
Mr Brabants: Thank you.
Q87 Philip Davies: The British team's
performance at the Olympics was its best in 100 years and obviously,
Tim, you were part of that great triumph. Who should take the
credit for that success? Are you all claiming credit for the success?
Mr Clegg: Well, I well remember
Atlanta in 1996 when the team was less successful and there were
also lots of people diving for cover! Conversely, here we had
a very successful Games and of course everyone wants to take the
credit and that goes with the territory, but, on a serious note,
one does need to give credit to the funding agencies for the level
of investment which has been made, particularly since Atlanta
in 1996, with the introduction of the Lottery. That has had a
huge impact across all the governing bodies, accelerated of course
by London's success in winning the bid in Singapore which has
resulted in a government commitment of an additional £300
million to support high-performance sport. That additional funding,
which came on stream about two and a half years ago, has made
a further significant increase on the performance levels of Team
GB. I think that at the end of the day we need to recognise that
it is athletes who win gold medals, it is no one else, it is not
agencies, it is not organisations, it is not even coaches. Everyone
else has got a really important role to play to contribute to
the success of the athletes, but at the end of the day it is down
to those athletes who step onto the field of play. Whether that
is the British Olympic Association through the services that we
provide, whether it is our preparation camp in Macau or whether
it is the individual coaches employed by the governing bodies
or indeed through the funding agencies, everyone should take credit
for what was an outstanding performance by the athletes.
Q88 Philip Davies: Tim, obviously
I think we all agree that you should take credit for your achievement,
but, as a sort of impartial arbiter perhaps, who do you think
was the biggest single factor in helping you make that achievement?
Mr Brabants: Well, as Simon says,
on the field of play it is the athletes that get the recognition
in terms of the media coverage and things, but it is a team effort.
The funding that has come in through the National Lottery has
made a massive difference. For me, this was my third Olympic Games.
The Lottery funding came in in 1997 and that has made a difference
for me. It takes a while for that funding to come through in terms
of the lifestyle changes that you can then afford to make. Also
the preparation that the BOA had for us in terms of our holding
camps prior to the Games and in the build-up over the last four
years with training camps and racing trips we have been able to
attend, that has made a difference. And the Lottery funding and
the extra funding available, has provided athletes with the coaches,
the support staff, the venues and the sort of environment to be
able to compete to the best level we can.
Q89 Philip Davies: Colin, the BOA
was quite guarded in its expectations of the British team in the
run-up to the Olympics in Beijing and everybody is reporting that
we exceeded all expectations. Is that true or did you privately
expect that the level of success that was achieved would be achieved?
Lord Moynihan: Internally we have
a close look at where we think we are going to come out and we
did marginally improve on that prediction in relation to the medal
table, but I have to say that Simon, working with the governing
bodies, was anticipating an outstanding result for Team GB. It
was delivered in full and, as I say, in terms of balance of gold
medals over silver and bronze, it exceeded some of our expectations,
so clearly we were delighted with the performance of the athletes
and the support structures around those athletes. I should say
in front of Simon that I think that the BOA's team that he led
as chef de mission in these Games was outstanding. It provided
consistent and constant support to Team GB which, getting off
to a good start, was very much an inspired team and I think that
is an important part of answering your first question as well
in terms of who was responsible, and Simon and the team did an
outstanding job.
Q90 Philip Davies: So now that you
sort of know the ingredients for success in the Olympics, presumably
there is now no excuse for success in future Olympics not being
repeated over and over again?
Lord Moynihan: Certainly it is
the intention of the BOA to take a very strong team to London
and certainly all athletes seek to improve on their performance,
but, if you are encouraging me to look to set a target for London
2012, you can rest assured that, just as with Beijing, I am certainly
not going to be drawn down that road. We have an "aspirational
target" of fourth place for London 2012 which was key to
ensuring that there was support for the funding programme and
it is so important to underline that national governing bodies
need the consistency of funding which we have certainly got for
the six-year period from when it was agreed by the Chancellor
and that consistency is critical. I have just come back from Australia
where they are in envy of the fact that we do have a six-year
funding programme where they have an annual programme which is
revisited. We need to hire coaches who are the best in the world,
the governing bodies need to have those in place and they can
only do that if they can have a long-term contract to encourage
them to come here, so it would be, in my view, very unwise to
say, "This is our target for London 2012" when we do
not even know who our team is going to be yet, let alone the teams
we will be competing against in the world. What we do anticipate
is that, if we can provide the support for outstanding athletes
to achieve their personal bests, the medal table will look after
itself.
Mr Clegg: Can I just add to that
that I think we need to look at the countries that are ahead of
us as well as indeed those that are behind us because, arguably,
winning a gold medal, if you ask any gold medallist, is hard enough
and retaining it is even harder. The Russians had a particularly
poor Games; they were nine gold medals and 18 medals in total
short of where I thought they would be. The recent announcements
for the new additional funding that is available through a dozen
Russian billionaires to support high-performance sport in Russia
is going to have a big impact on their performance in London.
Let us not forget those countries that are immediately in our
wake, particularly France, Italy, Germany and Australia who obviously
are looking now to invest the sort of monies that we have been
investing over the last couple of years. They have seen the huge
step-change difference in the performance of Team GB from tenth
in the medal table to fourth not over four years, but effectively
over two and a half since that additional funding has come online
and they are all looking to their governments to make similar
levels of investment in their own sports, so it is going to be
challenging, as the Chairman said, and there should be no knee-jerk
reactions to say that we were fourth this time and, therefore,
we have to be anywhere next time.
Q91 Rosemary McKenna: On that point,
it was reported immediately after the Games that some of our most
successful coaches were being persuaded to go to other countries.
Now, if that is true, that is a matter of concern and are we doing
anything to prevent that or can we do anything to prevent that?
Lord Moynihan: The national governing
bodies are in the process of securing the services of their coaching
team in many cases, they hope, for the full quadrennium. So far
there has been some good news at least on the rowing front and
certainly immediately afterwards there were some countries which
were seeking to acquire some of our top coaches as, not surprisingly,
it is a highly competitive global market for outstanding coaches.
If you look at the success, for example, in cycling, it was not
surprising to learn that people were keen to encourage David Brailsford
to go elsewhere. That is a matter for the governing bodies. They
are in negotiations and so far, so good. I am very keen, from
the British Olympic Association's standpoint, that we continue
to secure the best coaches and, if necessary, acquire additional
coaches to support them which of course has just happened in athletics.
Q92 Helen Southworth: First of all,
can I add to everybody else and say that it was absolutely stunningly
successful and certainly I was overwhelmed time after time by
the success that we were actually having and I did actually feel
as if I was part of that success, which is very rare for me in
sport, I have to say, and I also noticed that huge numbers of
my constituents had that exact same feeling, so there was a euphoria
and you understand that, but it spread right the way around the
nation and thank you very much for that. However, it has given
us this amazing challenge, has it not, that we now need to be
able to build on that in those areas where we were very successful,
but also look at those areas where perhaps we did not quite perform
as well as we had hoped to be able to make sure that we can focus
on that as well? How on earth are you going to be able to balance
that out?
Lord Moynihan: I think it is a
very good point and the first answer is that we have a number
of Formula One sports, as I call them: rowing, sailing, cycling
are right up there in terms of their support structure for outstanding
talent. They delivered in Beijing. We need to ensure that, as
we move towards London 2012, we encourage the sports that either
did not medal against the prospects we held out for them or indeed
sports that are medalling, but could do better. For example, in
boxing, we have some outstanding talent and what it needs now
is the sort of support structure that we see in the Formula One
sports. We can also learn from those Formula One sports. It is
important that Team GB is seen as a team and that, whilst unquestionably
the performance directors and the coaches from rowing, sailing
and cycling, for example, are very busy with their sports, to
be able to contribute to the rest of Team GB as we move forward
and to some other sports which are looking to medal for the first
time is very important, so the team approach is critical. I celebrate
the fact that UK Sport is very focused on this and they have done
a first-rate job. Sue Campbell has, with her team, been outstanding
in providing the financial support that you have heard about from
Tim and we need to work closely together with them and the governing
bodies to make sure that we can build on the euphoria and the
success of Beijing and deliver a great result in London because
ultimately, as Simon is prone to quote on many an occasion and
rightly so, the success of those Games in London 2012 will depend
primarily on the success of Team GB. The International Olympic
Committee recognise that, the public recognise that and the press
recognise that, so we need to do everything we can to support
the team to deliver outstanding results in 2012.
Q93 Helen Southworth: In terms of
the private sector or wealthy individual engagement in supporting
the sports and Team GB, and you gave us an example about what
was happening in Russia at the moment, are there things that we
can do together to help that process in the UK and are there things
that you are looking at where you might be seeking additional
help from Government to achieve in that area?
Lord Moynihan: Well, the most
important objective is that there is continuity of funding over
the six-year programme and clearly there have been some steps
forward to fund the residual £100 million out of the £600
million over the six years that was identified initially by the
then Chancellor of the Exchequer/current Prime Minister to come
from the private sector, and that has now come down to a £59
million figure. There is a shortfall still. The answer to your
question is, first and foremost, to make sure that all the governing
bodies have visibility on the full funding package, which is principally
a Lottery-funded package with some support from Treasury as well,
and that it is delivered. Secondly, from the British Olympic Association's
point of view, we do not receive government funding and we have
not in over 100 years and we are not seeking it. We go out to
the public for support for Team GB so that we can send teams that
we manage and select to the Games and we will continue to do that
over the next four years and beyond. I think the success in Beijing
will assist us in that direction, but it is again quite a crowded
marketplace for raising the funds that are necessary for all the
constituent parts of a successful Games in London and we need
to make sure that we are fully funded to deliver all our objectives.
Q94 Adam Price: You mentioned boxing
and there were three medals. I think one boxer failed to make
his weight, but it was generally seen as a very good performance
and generally there has been a renaissance in boxing in the UK
in recent years. You made a decision to switch from the ABA, am
I right, to the BABA at the moment? What is the story there? Is
it a very good coach you have got to hang on to, albeit a robust
training style apparently, but maybe that is what you need in
boxing, so what is the background to the decision there to change
the structure?
Mr Clegg: Well, it is not a change
in structure. The British Amateur Boxing Association has been
around for a number of years and of course we, as the British
Olympic Association, have affiliated to us the British body which
of course is the BABA, the constituent members of which are the
home country boxing associations. Over recent years, the British
element has actually been undertaken by the ABA which is the Amateur
Boxing Association of England with an input from the other home
countries. The decision has been made by UK Sport, not by the
British Olympic Association, to reinforce the British Amateur
Boxing Association and to place the whole British team, in that
body as opposed to the current arrangement which effectively meant
that the British team was delegated down to the lead home country,
which in this case is England.
Q95 Adam Price: Presumably you were
fully consulted and you were interested in terms of that?
Lord Moynihan: Absolutely, and
we echo your respect and our plaudits for Terry Edwards, an outstanding
coach. He created a very strong team and ethos and we very much
hope that in the structure, moving forward, he will play a key
part in British boxing.
Q96 Paul Farrelly: I just could not
resist this, Simon. You mentioned Australia not once, but twice
as rivals behind us, and I play rugby, so I love the Aussies as
well. The most creative whinge as we overtook them during the
Olympics that I heard by far was that in cycling, sailing and
rowing, "Those Poms, they can only win medals on their backsides!"
What is your response to that?
Mr Clegg: I did not see Christine
Ohuruogu sitting down very much and, when you compare our results
on the track and field with Australia's, I think that that bears
witness to the fact that we do not only win medals in sports where
we sit down.
Lord Moynihan: I would add, having
just returned from a press conference in Sydney, that the question
that was put to me which best summarises, in my view, how ill
at ease they currently feel was when one of their leading journalists
turned round and said, "Surely it would've been much better
if you had split Great Britain up into the Home Nations so we
would have had a fair competition!" To hear that from an
Aussie journalist was worth the trip!
Q97 Chairman: Tim, having won the
medals sitting down, what was your reaction to that?
Mr Brabants: Obviously I am quite
biased. No, we are a very successful nation, but it just happens
that those are the sports that we are particularly good at, I
guess, but it is fair play to the Australians to look for any
excuse.
Q98 Rosemary McKenna: Before I address
my questions to Tim, can I first of all say how much I enjoyed
the Olympic Games and, no matter where I went in Scotland when
it was on, people were actually talking about the Olympic Games,
so, if they were interested in the Games in Beijing, they are
certainly going to be interested in, and supportive of, the UK
Games in London. Tim, first of all, congratulations again, it
was tremendous to watch, but could you tell us a bit about your
experience as an athlete of the provision for athletes in Beijing
and if there is anything that London can learn from the experience?
Mr Brabants: I am very privileged
that this was my third Olympic Games, so I have had two previous
ones to base my experience of Beijing on. Yes, Beijing was an
amazing Olympic Games. I think it is very hard when we talk about
whether London can be a better or worse Olympic Games than Beijing,
but what I struggle to find as an athlete is how you actually
quantify what is better and what is worse, not just in terms of
funding and things, but from the athlete experience, the spectator
experience, what is better and what is worse? My point of view
is two-fold; you can analyse what Beijing did in terms of staging
the Olympic Games and the subsequent athlete and spectator experience,
and then you can look at what the BOA did for Team GB. We had
the BOA base, we had our holding camp in Xinye and we had a fantastic
facility there. Envious athletes from other countries were coming
in and saying, "We're staying at this hotel there. What have
you got there?" and we would describe the facilities available
to us which gave us a great advantage, and it was the same in
the Olympic Village. It was not just that Beijing provided a good
Olympic Village, but it was what the BOA then did within the Olympic
Village to our accommodation which made a difference, so I think
there are lessons that can be learned on both fronts for London
2012. We were a very lucky team and we were very well looked after
in terms of facilities provided, but, in my experience of all
three Olympic Games, Beijing has been the best so far and it is
all conducive to good performance and I think that was reflected
across the whole of Team GB and also from the support back in
the UK as well, which was quite apparent when we came home.
Q99 Rosemary McKenna: Yes, indeed
it was obvious, was it not, and people were so supportive. One
of the points that I read about recently is the fact that maybe
one of the casualties of the credit crunch will be the Olympic
Village. Do you think it matters how many athletes there are to
a room? Obviously you want the very best facilities, but do you
think it really matters if you are sharing?
Mr Brabants: Obviously different
athletes have different opinions and I can only speak on behalf
of myself. I am quite happy sharing with others, that is what
we do on training camps all the time. It is part of being at the
Olympic Games. The athletes are passionate about being at the
Olympic Games and that is their goal, that is what they enjoy
and what they enjoy being a part of. Part of the experience is
sharing your apartment or your room or whatever with other athletes,
like-minded athletes, and learning and experiencing from them
as well. I do not think it is going to be the case where you have
got 12 to a room and bunk beds and things, but, like I say, at
our training camps that is what we are used to and it is part
of the experience of the Olympic Games. It is different from Sydney
to Athens to Beijing and it will be different again in London
and I think that is one of the beauties of the Olympic Games,
the different experiences and what you take from each Olympic
Games that you are lucky enough to attend.
|
